PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Charles Gould, star of the new horror-comedy, It Cuts Deep. This is a film I highly recommend and is perfect for the holiday season! In this interview, you will learn about how Charles got involved with this business, his character in It Cuts Deep, some spooky experiences onset, upcoming projects, and more.
PopHorror – Hey Charles, thanks for talking with me! What inspired you to become an actor?
Charles Gould – Well, I’ve been surrounded by show business my entire life. I grew up in Los Angeles and my Dad is a screenwriter and director who would give me one or two lines in his movies when I was a kid. I caught the bug early on, but even with my upbringing, acting didn’t feel like a realistic career option and I explored other things. However, by the time I got to college, I realized that my desire for attention outweighed my desire to read books, so I majored in theatre.
PopHorror – That’s awesome. Do you remember the first role you ever did and how that experience impacted your career?
Charles Gould – Yes, the first real, real, role that I did was as a crime blogger on Law And Order. I had two lines which I shouted at the murder suspect as he was being dragged into the back of a cop car by the one and only Anthony Anderson. It was an incredibly formative experience for me. For one, it felt like a rite of passage. When I did my audition, I was in a waiting room with all these VHS tapes that were labeled with the names of the actors that had done guest stars or co-stars on the show, and I was blown away by how many successful actors got their start on Law And Order. Secondly, I had no idea how much work goes into making a TV show: costumes, locations, props, sound, camera department, catering, trailers, truck drivers…everyone has a job, and the job of the actor is to hit their mark and know their lines.
PopHorror – Wow. That’s an amazing first gig. I love Law and Order! If you could work with anyone in the business who would it be?
Charles Gould – Issa Rae. The last season of Insecure was one of my favorite seasons of TV.
PopHorror – I need to check that one out! How did your new role for It Cuts Deep come about for you?
Charles Gould – Nick Santos (read our interview with him – HERE), the writer/director of the movie, had seen me do stand-up a few times and thought that I would be right for the role. He sent me the script about two years before we shot the movie and asked if I was interested. Obviously, I was. The character of Sam really aligned well with me and my standup persona, and I immediately knew why Nick asked me to do it and what he wanted from the role. Also, I have a dossier of material that Nick doesn’t want to get out so I blackmailed him.
PopHorror – (Laughs) I can tell why you were perfect for the part. Can you tell us about your character?
Charles Gould – Sam is a little bit of a fuckboi. He has a great girlfriend who wants him to commit to their relationship but he just can’t do it. He doesn’t want to settle down despite the fact that Ashley is way out of his league–one reviewer has even pointed out how much better-looking Quinn is than me but that guy was obviously threatened by extreme masculinity. Sam deflects real conversation topics by making dumb jokes about his dick and he doesn’t really think about anyone but himself. All that being said, he is charming and sometimes his dick jokes are funny. When he can be present, he is actually a good person.
PopHorror – (Laughs) Hmm.. could you relate to him at all?
Charles Gould – Ha, after that description of him how could I say yes? But yes, I do. Commitment can be very scary. It’s hard to completely reveal and dedicate yourself to another person. It’s also surprisingly hard to share a bed with someone. Like, it shouldn’t be sooo hard to sleep on a bed with another person, but it is, and I don’t get it.
PopHorror – I completely understand that! Any favorite scenes or on set memories?
Charles Gould – Hmmm, probably the scene where Quinn and I are in bed and I’m apologizing for not proposing to her. After we did a few takes as it was written, Quinn and I got to improvise and it started going to insane places like butt stuff and E.T…and not those two things independent of each other, those two things together. Some of that stuff is in the blooper reel which you can watch if you buy the DVD! (wink wink)
Also, John Anderson, who plays Nolan, and I saw a ghost. We were walking from the set and we walked by a house where we saw an older woman silhouetted in a window. I couldn’t see her face, it was covered by a shadow, but from the way she was standing, I could tell that she was watching us. I waved to her and she did not wave back. She didn’t even move and John said that she was probably mad that we were shooting a movie in her neighborhood. Later that day, I told Nick about what happened and that it seems like one of the neighbors was kind of pissed, and he said that NO ONE LIVED IN THE HOUSE WHERE I SAW THE WOMAN. (this is a 100% true story)
PopHorror – That’s freaking crazy and creepy! Thanks for sharing! Any other upcoming projects you’d like to talk about?
Charles Gould – Yes! I’m working on a project with Comedy Central called Plan Of Action, where, with the help of a therapist I try to overcome all my anxieties and neuroses. I’ve already released one episode about Hair Loss which you can watch on the Comedy Central Youtube page and the next episode will be about either Social Media or Monogamy…which is pretttttty fitting for It Cuts Deep.
PopHorror – I will definitely be checking it out! Thanks for such a fun interview, Charles. I look forward to all your future projects! It Cuts Deep is now available in select theatres as well as Digital and VOD.
